


Nearest and Dearest

by lorspolairepeluche



Series: Mass Effect: the Combined Universe [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen, Platonic Relationships, Surrogate family, but the shep dont even show up in this one, srry cade, technically there's shep/ashley in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 00:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10685874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorspolairepeluche/pseuds/lorspolairepeluche
Summary: Duke didn't have a family outside of their mom--until the Normandy.





	Nearest and Dearest

_i. for the warrior in them: a father_

 

“Rachni!” the driver shouts.

“I see them!” the krogan in the turret replies. The truck is already rocking from the force of the turret blasts. It’s only a few moments before the krogan yells, “There’s too many of them!”

“I know; I’m driving through them!” the one at the wheel answers.

Duke looks across the truck, to where Noel is damn near curled up on his seat and Eve is glancing at him every few seconds. _Right. Thresher maw. Can’t be fun after Akuze._ They bang on the ceiling of the truck with their fist. “Need any help up there?”

“Stay down, human! You’re too small to be any use!”

Noel’s head snaps up, finally distracted from the fact that they are being chased by _the mother of all thresher maws_ , in time to see Duke’s face change from surprise to that spiteful determination that always followed a dig at their height.

“Yo, Wrex,” Duke says, impossibly calm. “I’m gonna peek out that trapdoor and help out that lunkhead in the turret. Can you hold my legs?”

Wrex gives the krogan equivalent of a feral grin. “Sure thing.”

Duke hops onto the step Wrex makes for them with his hands and, not even bothering with the latch, blows the trapdoor off with a quick biotic blast. The Duchess is loaded and ready in their hands as Wrex hoists them up to see the area around them. “Sup, fucker,” they mutter, catching a glimpse of the krogan in the turret in the corner of their eye. “You said there’s too many of them; that means you’re an incompetent jackass, and you need help, even if it’s from a tiny human.” They sight one rachni’s bloated, membranous sac, and they fire. The creature explodes in a gush of fluid that splatters the side of the truck, and two more take its place.

“Okay, Duchess, no hard feelings,” Duke says, putting their shotgun back in its slot on their back, “but I need something more…widespread than a thermal clip right now.” Their arms glow blue, and two of the rachni freeze, the same blue aura around them as they’re dragged along with the truck, barreling into other rachni, disorganizing them until Duke’s biotics blast outward with their war cry, throwing the mess of rachni out of the truck’s way and leaving only the scent of ozone for the krogan at the wheel to worry about.

“All clear!” Duke hollers to the others in the truck.

“Quads, Wrex,” the driver says admiringly as Noel hears the distinct sounds of his upgrades to the Duchess powering up and of Duke’s wild laughter. “That one would make a good krogan.”

Wrex’s grin never left, and now it grows wider as, above him, Duke shouts, “Come and get me, you fucking pyjaks! Target practice, let’s _go!_ ”

“Yeah,” Wrex says, nearly bursting with pride. “They would.”

—

_ii. for the explorer in them: sisters_

 

“What’s the farthest you’ve ever been from where you were born?”

“Ilos,” Ashley and Duke answer in unison. “You?” Duke continues.

“I don’t know,” Tali admits. “I was born on the Flotilla, so I don’t know where exactly we were when I was born. I remember thinking I was going so far when I started my Pilgrimage… I had no idea that Shepard would take me so much farther.”

“And keep us all alive while he does it,” Ashley adds.

“And still find time to break fraternization rules.” Duke grins at Ashley’s playful scowl. “Man. You know what? This is why I joined up. The exploration. The _going somewhere_ and the coming back _._ I wanted to see those stars I watched when I was a kid. But I always wanted to come back too. I always needed a family.”

“Aw, you’ve got one.” Ashley loops an arm around Duke, tugging them to her side and ruffling their hair with her other hand.

“Let go!” Duke says, mock-indignant. “You can’t treat me like one of your little sisters, Ash; I’m two years older than you!”

“Four inches taller trumps that!” Ash responds, delightedly putting Duke in a gentle chokehold.

“Would you _quit_ it? Tali, help me!”

“I’m not getting in between that,” Tali says with a snicker in her voice.

“Fuck you!”

“Whoa, you kiss Admiral Wilder with that mouth?” But Ash loosens her hold into a hug, reaching an arm out for Tali. “Sure I can treat you guys like siblings. You practically are.”

“Aw, Ash,” Tali coos as she lets Ashley hug her. “Are you going soft?”

“Nah, treating you like siblings means I can punch you in the shoulder if you start making fun of me,” Ashley replies with no real warning in her voice.

“I’m still at the perfect height to kick you in the shins,” Duke mumbles with a smile.

 

—

_iii. for the competitor in them: brothers_

 

“Well, your aim’s as bad as I remember,” Garrus drawls as he lowers his binoculars and Duke lowers the rifle, scowling at the target that they both know has only three holes in it for the seven shots Duke fired.

“That’s cause I get along fine with just the Duchess,” Duke snaps. “I don’t need a big-ass sniper rifle to compensate for anything.”

“Compensate?” Garrus repeats blankly. “What is it compensating—”

“Don’t ask,” Kaidan says shortly. “Seriously, though, Duke, you should practice more. What if you can’t get in close quarters with an enemy? Are you going to take a brute head-on with an empty shotgun?”

“That’s what my biotics are for,” Duke answers.

“He said you _can’t_ get in close quarters,” Garrus says.

“I’m not Cade,” Duke scoffs. “I don’t need to charge everything.”

“You need to get close enough to use your biotics,” Garrus insists.

Duke gives him the most withering look they can muster. “I _am_ close enough to use my biotics.” They shove the rifle into his arms. “Keep your eyes on that target, Vakarian.”

Garrus’s mandibles flick skeptically before he turns to face the faraway target once more. He’s looked at it for barely a second before it’s consumed in an instant of blue.

Garrus’s mandibles flare. “What the—”

“Kaidan. Got a grenade?”

Kaidan apprehensively surrenders a grenade from his arsenal, and Duke snatches it up, yanking the pin out with their teeth and lifting it out of their hand with their biotics, the blue aura keeping the handle pressed down. The grenade darts away toward the smoking crater that was once a target until it is identifiable only by the same blue that surrounds Duke’s hand.

Duke grins.

The blue in the distance disappears.

And another explosion rocks their eardrums.

Duke turns to consider their handiwork, twirling the pin around their finger, as dark grey smoke rises from the crater and Garrus and Kaidan gape at it. “I was pretty on-target with that, wasn’t I?” They cock their head at Garrus. “So, tell me again how I have to get in close quarters to use my biotics?”

Garrus mutters a curse and turns away. “You’re hopeless, Wilder.”

“You love me, Vakarian,” Duke counters sweetly before Kaidan throws an arm around their shoulders, laughing.

“Duke Wilder, showing turians up since 2168,” Kaidan crows as Garrus’s subvocals growl at them.

Duke grabs Garrus’s arm, dragging him back to stay with them and Kaidan. “Don’t worry, Garrus,” they say, tucking an arm around his waist. “You’re still the best with a sniper rifle. Can’t hold a candle to you there.”

Garrus scoffs, but squeezes Duke’s arm in his three fingers. “Just promise you’ll practice some more. I worry about you, Duke.”

“Aww, Kaidan, you hear that? He _does_ love me!”

“No, I just think you’re a dumb tiny human with no impulse control and no sense of self-preservation. And I’d miss you if you were gone.”

Duke hugs him with a grin. “I love you too, Garrus.”

—

_iv. for when they finally come home: a mother_

 

“The Hong Kong limped out alive,” Hackett says, arms folded across his chest, “but it was in the minority. The Cape Town and the Shenyang distracted a Reaper to let the Seoul, the Madrid, and the Jakarta circle around it and find a weak spot, but…”

“I know, Steven,” Hannah says, not unkindly. “I was there.”

“Captain,” a clipped voice says through the comm. “A Lieutenant Vega and a…another person, requesting permission to see you in the CIC.”

“Send them up, Taylorson,” Hannah responds without thinking. She notices Hackett frown. “Steven?”

“Vega. The name’s familiar.”

“It’s a star?” Hannah offers tiredly, earning half a smile from Hackett.

“No, I’m sure I’ve heard of him from someone…”

Something clicks. “Vega,” Hannah breathes. _She_ knows that name. She knows _him._ Is he with…

The elevator slides open, and Hannah and Steven turn at the sound of a voice so familiar it makes tears spring to her eyes.

“I’m _fine,_ James, quit _babying_ me—”

“You are _not_ fine; you literally _just_ got outta the medbay, and then you _insist_ on going to another _ship_ —” Lieutenant Vega sees who’s waiting for them and salutes. “Admirals.”

Hackett salutes back, but Hannah can only see the person at Vega’s side, leaning heavily on a cane from their omnitool.

A relieved, helpless smile breaks out across Duke Wilder’s face. “Hey, Mom.”

Hannah is running before she knows what she is doing, and she grabs her child and hugs them with her breath shuddering. “Duke.”

Duke grips the back of Hannah’s uniform, already crying themself. “I’m back, Mom,” they whisper. “I made it home.”

Hannah pulled away to hold Duke’s face in her hands. “Of course you did,” she says with a watery smile. “You’re my kid, after all.”


End file.
